GARDEN CITY, Kansas – Last year, an incident in the Finney County jail that injured two deputies was only partially caught on camera. The inmate who was accused of the attack was found not guilty. Sheriff Kevin Bascue said he believes more cameras in the jail would have helped their case against the inmate.

So, the County Commission has approved the department’s request for 14 body cameras to be put on the jail staff.

The cameras will record both visual and audio interactions. “We are hoping that we will get better documentation of interactions between staff and inmates,” Bascue said.

“Rather than suggestions from either side on what really happened, if they’ve got some film on it or a camera on it, it’s just going to be easier,” said County Commissioner Cliff Mayo.

The body cameras work in another way too, by recording all the interactions between jail staff and inmates there will be more transparency when it comes to the local law enforcement.

“If you’ve got a camera right there mounted on the person that shows exactly what happened, it’s got to be good for both sides,” Mayo said.

The cameras and software will cost about $18,000 at no cost to the taxpayers. “It’s a fund, that actually, the inmates pay it,” Mayo said. The money will come from the fees inmates pay to make calls from jail.